Skrillex on Good Times, His Homies: "We Just F#@% With Each Other on a Creative Level"

And the award for best new event at Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week goes to... OWSLA's new Good Times, a two-day backyard bonanza smack dab in the middle of Wynwood, featuring once-in-a-lifetime collaborative sets from the most exciting names on the dance scene.

WMC and MMW is exciting because everyone is here. You never know who will show up, and Good Times captures that vibe. It'll be impossible to ever see these sets again, because they can happen only live.

We here at Crossfade caught up with OWSLA head honcho Skrillex to hear more about the inspiration behind the event, what fun things they've got planned, and which back-to-back sets he's most excited to see.

Skrillex: Miami is such a diverse culture, and I think Ultra and all the stuff on South Beach definitely offers a certain thing. But also, I think there's a whole other part of the scene besides South Beach. We wanted to do something outside of the typical Miami WMC week and do something a bit more laid-back, something that really focuses on up-and-coming guys as well. These are people that we're all friends with. We just like to fuck with each other on a creative level, and that's where all the back-to-back ideas came, having artists come together and play special sets. I just thought it'd be cool to do something different. Tickets are $30, and we just do it for the love and to do something different during the week. I don't think there's really something like that out there, for all the kids who can't afford to go to Ultra, or Story and LIV. All that stuff serves a certain purpose, but this is kind of its own thing.

It's in Wynwood, which is awesome. Were you a big part in picking the location?

Yeah, absolutely. I have a lot of friends in that area, graffiti artists and different collectives that we've actually worked on for some art for OWSLA and Skrillex. It's a really cool area, and obviously, it has that tie to Art Basel, but I feel like there's nothing major going on over there during that week. I'm not saying there's nothing, but this sort of lineup, you don't really see that during Miami Week in that area. We wanted to do this backyard style, where it felt like a party, and it's not really about production or anything else -- just the music. We have taco trucks and food trucks, that sort of thing.

Are you going to have some of your friends out for live painting?

Yeah, we're actually doing that. We're having live painters, our friends from the area who are coming together. There's a certain collective in general, INCUB8R, who we're really good friends with.

I was so excited to hear you're bringing Chance the Rapper out as part of your set. What was it like working with him? And what will your set be like at the show?

Working with him was awesome. He's been a buddy of ours for over a year now, and when he was first coming to L.A., he was always staying on my couch, so it was really easy. We've always talked about doing something together and it was just the right place at the right time. We were just inspired. We did that record in a day, all the instrumentation and the vocals all came from that. It was really easy and we vibed together. He's really one that likes to move in the creative moment, which is how I like to work as well, just fast and not overthink stuff. As far as the Miami performance, we're just going to go for it. It's a back-to-back set with me and What So Not, so it's going to be so unique and fun. We're going to drop some Acid Rap. We're going to drop some new tunes. We're going to just have fun with it.

Even in just that one set, with Chance and What So Not and you, that's so many different sounds coming together. I'm sure it's going to be awesome. What are some other pairings that you're really excited for, if you can pick favorites.

There's so many great ones, and for the record, I want to say that they're all so special on their own. But, for instance, Wave Racer back-to-back with Branchez is going to be amazing. That kind of sound that's coming from Australia -- that really kind of melodic hip-hoppy, big chords -- that's going to be dope. I'm looking forward to Mercer and Tchami. Mercer's been blowing up on the scene for a second, and now Tchami is coming up. His sound is so awesome. Them together is really dope. That's the new wave of that French sound that's really killing it. Obviously, the other headliners the other day, Brodinski and Boys Noize back-to-back with Spank Rock, that's fucking awesome. Craze and A-Trak. Milo and Otis vs. Smog All-Stars. Because of Ultra stuff, we can't announce Smog, but that's going to be pretty fun. I think it's going to be 12th Planet. John always brings the dope energy. Whenever he's around, the party can feel it everywhere.

The cool thing is, every single artist was more than glad to do this. It's not about getting paid or anything. It was so cool to see these people jump on right away. This was our first wave of reaching out to all these artists, and they were so quick to jump on it because they loved the idea, and that's the whole idea, just to do something fun for Miami that's different. It was cool to see everyone come together for this.

How were the pairings conceived?

That was something I was really personally involved with. People who I knew already knew each other, and who would lend to each other's sound, stuff like that. It kind of takes a second to think about, but I think we did it in a really dope way. To me, it was just like what would be interesting, but what makes sense, too? Tchami and Mecer, they're coming out of the same scene in France. Them together makes sense. Going back to Branchez and Wave Racer, they've already done remixes for each other on each other's labels and have a similar vibe. If I'm a kid, I'd love to see them do back-to-back set, which I kind of am still a kid, but you know what I mean.

Any parting messages?

Overall, really, I want people to know how much we want to make this a real fun daytime event. This is just something where you can be yourself, bring your vibe. Don't worry about how you're dressed or what kind of shoes you have. Be comfortable. Enjoy some new music. That's really what it's all about.

Good Times. With Skrillex, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Craze, Chance the Rapper, Brodinski, and others. Presented by OWSLA and Poplife. Wednesday and Thursday, March 26 and 27, in Wynwood, at NW 24th Street and Second Avenue, Miami. The show starts at 4 p.m. each day and tickets cost $30 to $50 plus fees via ticketfly.com. Ages 18 and up. Visit nesthq.com/goodtimes.

Kat Bein is a freelance writer for Miami New Times and has been described as the publication’s "senior millennial correspondent." She holds a bachelor of science in journalism from the University of Florida and an impressive, if unhealthy, knowledge of all things pop culture. With a career emphasis on dance music, she is also a regular contributor to Billboard, Vice’s Thump, and Insomniac.com.